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Ilhan Omar Home Searched by HSI Agents in Federal Probe

HSI agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C.-area home under a DOJ warrant on Oct. 12. No charges or arrest reported; her office has not commented.

ByPeter Peters
Official 116th Congress portrait of Rep. Ilhan Omar in front of a U.S. flag
File photo: official portrait of Rep. Ilhan Omar, 116th Congress. U.S. House of Representatives, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Not taken at the search.

Developing story. This report reflects information available as of Monday morning, Oct. 12, 2026 (ET), and will be updated.

Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C.-area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., early on Monday, Oct. 12, according to the Associated Press, CBS News and Fox News, each citing people familiar with the matter. No arrest or criminal charges have been reported.

The Justice Department statement

A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed the operation without naming Omar. As quoted by The Guardian, the statement said: “Today in the Washington DC, area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.” Fox News published a nearly identical version.

The department did not say what the warrant covered or whether anything was seized. The Guardian reported that the White House and the Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the Justice Department.

Who carried out the search

AP reported, citing two people who spoke on condition of anonymity, that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents conducted the search. CBS News reported that three sources said HSI is leading the investigation, with the Justice Department assisting. Fox News, which first reported the search at 7:37 a.m. ET, said several agents in HSI jackets were seen outside the home before dawn.

HSI is the criminal investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Its remit includes immigration document and benefit fraud, and its special agents execute federal search warrants. This work is separate from ICE’s deportation operations.

What the probe reportedly concerns

The government has not publicly stated the subject of the investigation. Fox News, citing two anonymous sources close to the probe, reported that it is a criminal fraud inquiry into Omar’s immigration paperwork, which her late father completed when she was a child. CBS News reported the same focus, also citing unnamed sources. Neither the Justice Department nor DHS has confirmed this on the record. An investigation is not a finding of wrongdoing.

Omar’s response

As of Monday morning, Omar’s office had not commented. AP said it had emailed a representative, and The Guardian said her office did not respond to a request for comment. CBS News reported that after White House border czar Tom Homan publicly referred to a criminal investigation in mid-September, Omar said she had not been contacted about any investigation. AP reported that Omar has denied immigration fraud allegations made against her.

Background

Omar was born in Somalia, came to the United States as a refugee and has represented Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District since 2019. According to AP, Vice President JD Vance had signaled that the administration would investigate her over immigration fraud allegations. The Guardian reported that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month an investigation was under way. None of these allegations has been tested in court.

Older allegations reported by The Guardian (click to expand)

The Guardian described a years-old, unsubstantiated claim that Omar’s former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother. Omar has denied it, and the two divorced in 2017, according to the paper. The Guardian also reported, citing a New York Post article, that questions have been raised about her age at naturalization.

What is still unknown

  • Which offense the warrant concerns, and whether Omar is a target or a subject of the investigation.
  • Whether anything was seized, and whether Omar was at home.
  • Whether the inquiry will lead to charges.

This article is a rewrite of The Boston Report’s coverage, checked against the sources below.

Sources

Additional sources

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